For those on the ground covering the show, CES is always an adventure. This year's ride included torrential downpours and flash floods, coupled by a big power outage in the main convention hall. Despite the hurdles, PCMag's team of intrepid analysts has worked hard to cover ground and seek out the best products at the show. We've also taken a step back to look at the big picture, to highlight the tech trends that will define 2018, and beyond.

1
AI Assistants Everywhere

Alexa, Cortana, Google Assistant, Siri. These are the computers we talk to every day, to ask about the weather, the latest news, or how many teaspoons are in a tablespoon. (Three, if you're curious.) Some originated in phones, others in home speakers, but they're all going to be on more devices in the future. A lot more devices if CES is an indicator.

You're going to see assistants built into small screens (the Lenovo Smart Display is essentially the Echo Show, but with Google instead of Alexa), laptops (Acer, with Alexa support), TVs, home security systems, and even refrigerators. Give it a few years (or maybe less) and you'll be talking to your toaster oven.

2
Screens, Screens, Screens

CES has always been a big showcase for big, big TVs. This year was no different. Home theater junkies with big walls will lust after Samsung's 146-inch 4K MicroLED display (fittingly dubbed "The Wall"), and if you're the type who wants to hide the TV when it's not in use, LG's rollable display prototype will turn your head—it retracts into a nondescript base when not in use. We also saw big gaming displays (thanks to Nvidia's Big Format Gaming Display standard), up to 65 inches in size, for gamers who want minimal latency and an immersive experience.

3
Virtual and Augmented Reality

We saw hardware for Google's VR180 platform at the show, including headsets and cameras. VR180 is a return to 3D photography and videography, intended for consumption in a headset. There were also plenty of 360-degree cameras, some new, some not, and completely wireless gaming headsets and controls. Time will tell if VR will stick around—gamers love it, but it's a hard sell for TV bingers who would prefer not to strap goggles to their face.

Augmented Reality was also on display in various forms. We saw software that shows you what you'll look like if you dye your hair, as well as a number of industrial AR platforms. We also learned the tech has the potential to improve safety in the workplace, putting important information in the field of vision of an employee so they can perform a task without having to look elsewhere for instructions.

4
Sleep Tech

We've already got wearables to track your exercise habits and keep tabs on your heart rate, smart scales to help you control your weight and check your BMI, and water bottles that tell you how well you're hydrating. Sleep tech isn't brand new, but it's not as ubiquitous or refined as step tracking and the like.

There was a huge swath of smart mattresses on display, giving you tools to monitor your sleep. And there's plenty of tech that will help you sleep better, ranging from smart pillows to a headband that transmits soothing sounds to your brain via bone conduction. Getting a good night of rest will be easier in 2018.

5
Cars Driving Themselves

Self-driving cars exist, but are far from mainstream. That's going to change. PCMag editor Oliver Rist took the self-driving Nissan Leaf for a test drive, and editor-in-chief Dan Costa enjoyed a ride in a self-driving Lyft.

Self-driving vehicles are good news for drivers—the potential for safer roads is there—but not for taxi and delivery jobs. Your next takeout order could be delivered by KITT rather than a down-on-his-luck Hasselhoff.

6
Robots

We saw all kinds of robots at CES. The FoldiMate folds your laundry, Kuri is your family's autonomous videographer, #R2DoubleD and #TripleCPU provide adult entertainment, and Sophia is an ambitious, lifelike android with medical therapy applications. And we'd be remiss not to call out Sony's Aibo, a robot dog, perfect for apartment dwellers in pet-free buildings and folks with serious dander allergies.

We've come to accept robot vacuums and mops as normal tools to keep our homes pleasant. It won't be long before we have dozens of robots helping us through our daily lives.

7
Tech Toys to Teach

Kids love to play, but they need to learn. CES is rife with high-tech toys that provide fun, but also teach valuable skills. The Tello drone encourages kids to learn to code in Scratch, the Alpha Egg can provide language instruction, and Botley is a cute toy robot for the youngest aspiring programmers. And those are just a handful of examples we saw at the show. Things have come a long way from the days of Speak and Spell.

8
Enhanced Security

Information is more valuable than gold. Nefarious forces are out there, and they want your data. Social Security numbers can be used to create false identities and wreck your credit, ransomware holds your computer system hostage in exchange for cold hard cash, and you don't want to see your intimate photos plastered across the web.

At the same time, it's not practical to air gap all of your data. Software solutions and router firewalls provide some peace of mind, but there's room to do more. We saw a pair of security-first routers at CES, a D-Link model with McAfee software and Netgear hardware with tech from Bitdefender, and more are sure to follow. An extra layer of protection is never a bad thing.

About the Author

Senior digital camera analyst for the PCMag consumer electronics reviews team, Jim Fisher is a graduate of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he concentrated on documentary video production. Jim's interest in photography really took off when he borrowed his father's Hasselblad 500C and light meter in 2007. He honed his writing skills at re... See Full Bio

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